Honours psychology students perceptions of job-related skills

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1 Honours psychology students perceptions of job-related skills Marta Bonn Independent Consultant Johannesburg South Africa Chris Janeke Department of Psychology University of South Africa Piet Kruger Department of Psychology University of South Africa Abstract This article discusses the implications of the findings of a study that investigated the employment status of a large sample of graduate students in psychology. These students perceptions about job-related skills that they deem important for their present occupation and future employment prospects were explored. An analysis of the employment patterns of the students suggested that they are more likely to find work in educational and business settings than in medical or health-related situations. A large percentage of the students indicated that they were dissatisfied with their current jobs, and were considering career changes. They appeared to consider that a broad, rather than a narrow, focus is preferable in preparing for the labour market, and rated personality traits and general problemsolving abilities higher than specific practical skills in their employment situations.. Key words: career outcomes; graduate employment; job skills; labour market; postgraduate curriculae; psychology honours students; perception of labour market opportunities A substantial number of students are pursuing their studies of psychology at postgraduate level, with current new registrations for the honours degree at the University of South Africa (Unisa) totalling between 00 and 00 students per year. Enrolment for an honours degree in psychology typically reflects a career-oriented decision, and it can therefore be assumed that students regard the knowledge

2 marta bonn, chris janeke and piet kruger and skills obtainable from such a degree as being conducive to their vocational aspirations. Moreover, most honours students at a distance teaching institution, such as Unisa, have had some exposure to the job market, and it is therefore appropriate to inquire what job opportunities are available to these students, and what they regard as the most important psychological skills, personality traits, and knowledge in their job environments. Despite the obvious relevance of these questions, not much empirical research has been done to explore the status of psychology students in the labour market after graduation. This article addresses this general issue by reporting the results of an exploratory study designed to investigate graduate psychology students perceptions of what the job market expects of them. Psychology as a career In a study of employment trends from to for psychology and social and human science graduates, Wilson, Richter, Durrheim, Surrendorff, and Asafo- Agyei () noted that opportunities were opening up for psychology graduates with broad as opposed to narrow professional qualifications. Wilson et al. () reported that job opportunities were greater for those applicants whose skills could be easily transferable from one task to another with a need for general skills to complement more specific psychologically based knowledge (p. ). Murray (00) found that students with psychology majors in the United States (US) had no great difficulty in finding jobs. In South Africa the outlook for psychology students may be more bleak because, as Richter et al. () reported, South African psychology graduates are often expected to provide skills and perform duties in the workplace that the curricula of a South African major in psychology do not provide. Richter et al. () suggested that the curricula should be revised to meet the demands of the labour market, but did not spell out clearly what this means. Other researchers have suggested that universities should focus on developing marketable skills to ensure the viability of academic programmes in the current South African and global economic climate (MacLeod, 00; Wangenge-Ouma & Cloete, 00). What are the expectations of the labour market? Although some researchers have stressed the importance of job-related skills, psychological research has suggested that personality traits and abilities are more important predictors of job performance than skills. For example, Hogan, Hogan, and Roberts () maintained that personality is an important factor in guaranteeing success at work, and their view has been confirmed by several empirical studies. Milton, Pollio and Eison () carried out an extensive survey of representatives of business and industry who were actively involved in interviewing 0

3 honours psychology students perceptions of job-related skills and hiring college graduates, and college academics from the areas of social sciences, humanities and professional programmes. Milton et al. () found that the faculty staff rated the grades achieved by the students in their courses as the most important factor, followed by the number of difficult courses taken, the breadth of courses taken, and samples of the students writing. In contrast, the business recruiters thought that the personality traits of the students were more important than their grades in major courses. The nature of non-college jobs was, according to them, the third most important factor. A more recent investigation of the skills employers are looking for when they interview psychology majors carried out by Appleby (000) suggested that employers appear to be more interested in the social, personal and communication skills of potential employees than in their ability to perform quantitative, computer or psychometric operations. Dealing with people effectively, handling conflict, and working productively in a team were deemed more important than gathering information, carrying out projects, computer literacy, and the knowledge to perform statistical analyses. These finding were further corroborated by a survey conducted by Landrum and Harold (00) among employers of psychology students. These authors found that interpersonal skills, ability to function in a team, and work ethics were qualities that were rated especially highly by employers. Aims of the study The current study aimed at investigating the set of job-related traits, skills and abilities that determine the employability of psychology graduates in the South African workplace. It had two main objectives. The first was to obtain a general profile of typical graduate students in psychology at Unisa, and to gather information about the employment status of these students. The second was to find out how students who are employed rank psychologically relevant traits, knowledge and skills in terms of their employment situations. Method A questionnaire was constructed to obtain general biographical information from the participants, and to create a student profile. In addition to this, the questionnaire contained scale items for determining participants perception of the importance of particular skills and abilities, knowledge and personal traits. These items were derived from a scale developed by Edward and Smith (), which is reproduced in McKee (). The scale was developed in the 0s but is still regarded as an important instrument for exploring the relevance of psychology to the job environment (La Sierra University, 00).

4 marta bonn, chris janeke and piet kruger Each item in the scale requires a response on a -point Likert scale (ranging from as very unimportant to as very important ), and the participants had to rate this set of items twice, first in relation to their current work situation, and second in terms of their future career goals. The latter aspect was deemed necessary because it is likely that many of the students participating in the study plan to change their jobs, or to move into a different career path. The participants responses were divided into three major categories: skills and abilities, knowledge and personal traits. Sample The questionnaire was sent to students who were registered for psychology honours at Unisa. It was deemed appropriate to use postgraduate Unisa students in this survey because they are perceived to be mature and have work-related experience. To comply with ethical requirements, participation in the project was voluntary and participants were not required to divulge their name or student number (i.e., they submitted the questionnaire anonymously). The participants were assured that their participation was anonymous and that the data would be treated as confidential. Results Biographical information Of the questionnaires that were dispatched, a total of were returned, which is a response rate of 0.%. A summary of the salient information is presented in Table below. These results will be discussed in the section on the student profile. Table : Summary of salient biographical information No. of respondents: which represents a 0.% response rate Meanage of respondents:. with a median of 0; Range is 0 to Gender distribution: Male %; Female % Marital status: Single.%; Married.0%; Other.% First/home language: English %; Afrikaans.%; African languages.% Province: Gauteng.%; KZN.%; Western Cape.% Africa outside SA: % of sample; Rest of the world:.% Urbanisation: Urban %; Semi-urban 0.%; Rural 0.% Economic sector: Public.0%; Private.%; NGOs.% Education: BA %; BSc 0%; BA HED %; BA Hons % (may include the current degree course); BSc Hons. %; Masters.%; Doctorate % ( participants) Universities attended: Unisa.%; University of Pretoria 0.%;

5 honours psychology students perceptions of job-related skills University of KwaZulu-Natal 0.%; Witwatersrand.%; Stellenbosch.% Current employment: Full-time students.%; Teaching.% (primary, secondary and tertiary levels); Management or executive positions.%; Social welfare.%; Home maker.%. Other employment categories with just over % of the sample each are hospital and health workers, professionals (excluding teachers and nurses), and persons involved in sales-related work; Unemployed: (excluding homemakers).% Percentage of respondents who feel psychology has a relevance to their current job: % Planning to change work: 0.%; This is especially true of persons involved in sales and in the IT industry, but those involved in police/ prisons and religion oppose this trend % of the sample are breadwinners in their families, with an average of. persons dependent on their income; in 0.% of cases there are or fewer dependants The average no. of children (younger than ) in a home: (with.% of those that do have children reporting or less children) The average no. of adults per home:. ( persons or less in.% of the cases) Percentage with access to the internet: % Computer skills: Average to advanced:.%; No computer skills:.% The importance of particular skills and abilities, knowledge and personal traits within the work situation Table below gives the list of skills and abilities, knowledge domains, and personal traits that are perceived as being of importance in present and future employment (mean, standard deviation and rank order). These are reported in order of the rankings given by a US sample of employers to each of these items (from a US sample, as reported by Edward & Smith,, as reported in McKee ). Although the ratings were taken from an American study, they can be taken as an indication of the relative importance of items for employers. Table : Ratings of skills, abilities, knowledge and traits Current job Future goal Employed Skills and abilities x sd rank x Sd rank rank Writing proposals Identify and solve problems Conducting interviews

6 marta bonn, chris janeke and piet kruger Performing statistical analysis Conducting research projects Performing job analysis Coding data Analysing data by computer Observing and recording behaviour Tests and questionnaires Administering standardised tests Knowledge x sd rank x Sd rank rank Form and change attitudes/ opinions Techniques of personnel selection People s information processing Dynamics of small groups Environment effect on actions Organisational development Human learning and memory Perceiving and sensing environment Personality/individual differences Human needs and motivation Organizational behaviour and work Human development and life stages Abnormal behaviour Personal traits x sd rank x Sd rank rank Work with others in a team Motivation to work hard Positive attitude towards work Organisation Leadership Maturity Flexibility Communicates well Intelligence Problem-solving ability Integrity Tolerates stress and ambiguity

7 honours psychology students perceptions of job-related skills The order of ratings for current and future employment were generally the same, but the ratings given to the importance of future skills, knowledge and traits were generally higher than those for the current job. Skills and abilities The rankings showed that problem solving skills, the ability to conduct interviews, and the ability to write proposals were rated very highly by students, and also by employers. The ability to identify and solve problems and to conduct interviews were also ranked highly for future career goals. Students also rated the ability to observe and record behaviour highly for both present and future careers, but this skill was less highly regarded by prospective employers. Employers felt that the ability to perform statistical analysis of data and conducting research projects were important, though neither was ranked highly by students. Knowledge All knowledge-related items were rated fairly highly, the lowest being. which is above the mid-point on a -point scale. Knowledge of how to form and change attitudes and opinions was rated highly by employers, as was knowledge of how people think, solve problems, and process information, both of which were also ranked fairly highly by the students. However, employers felt that graduates should also have knowledge of the principles and techniques of personnel selection, which was ranked as least important by students, for both present and future careers. On the other hand, knowledge of the principles of human needs and motivation, which was ranked first by students for their present and future work environments, was regarded by employers as being of less importance. Personal traits These items were all rated as more important than knowledge and skills; the lowest rating was. on a -point scale. Personal traits, such as motivation to work hard and organisation, were ranked highly by both employers and students. Employers put the ability to work with others in a team in the first position, but students ranked this low in order of importance for both present and future work. Leadership, which was ranked lowest for both present and future work by students, was placed fairly highly by employers. Students felt that integrity was important, a notion that curiously was not shared by employers, who put it next to last. Structure of interrelationships among the ratings of skills, knowledge and traits To get a better insight into the structure of interrelationships among the ratings of skills, knowledge and traits that were being investigated, a factor analysis was

8 marta bonn, chris janeke and piet kruger performed (maximum likelihood factor analysis with varimax rotation). Since the order of the rankings differed so little, it was decided to pool the ratings for present and future work situation for the purposes of the factor analysis. Four factors were found (a fifth factor with an eigenvalue of. and no factor loading above 0. was disregarded). The factor loadings of those items that had a loading of 0. or higher are listed in Table below. Table : Factor analysis on skills, abilities, knowledge and traits pooled data Factor items Performing statistical analysis Conducting research projects Performing job analysis Coding data Analysing data by computer Tests and questionnaires Administering standardised tests Factor items Motivation to work hard Positive attitude towards work Organisation Maturity Flexibility Communicates well Intelligence Problem-solving ability Tolerates stress and ambiguity Factor items Human learning and memory Perceiving and sensing environment Personality/individual differences Human needs and motivation Human development and life stages Abnormal behaviour Factor items Techniques of personnel selection Organisational development Organisational behaviour and work Factor loadings Factor loadings Factor loadings Factor loadings In Table, all the salient loadings for the first factor come from items related to skills and abilities, and it seems to be an indication of formal research skills. The second factor refers to items that relate to personal traits. This factor seems to have

9 honours psychology students perceptions of job-related skills something to do with being an efficient problem-oriented worker. The third factor items all refer to knowledge of human psychology in a general sense. The last factor refers mainly to items that imply the knowledge of the principles by which an organisation functions. Factor score coefficients that were derived from the factor analysis were used to calculate scores for each subject on each of the four factors. The four new variables that were created represented a summary of the data, and these were used to determine whether certain demographical variables showed significant interaction effects with the students overall ratings through the use of multiple analyses of variance (Manovas). A significant gender effect was found (Wilks Lambda = 0.; Rao s R =.0; p = 0.00). Investigation of the main effects showed that only the second factor scores produced a significant effect (F =.; p = 0.000). The female respondents seemed to rate the requirement being an efficient problem-oriented worker more highly than the males. A highly significant effect was found for the variable language group (Wilks Lambda = 0.; Rao s R =.; p = ). Investigation of the main effects showed significant effects for Factor (F =.0; p = ), Factor (F =.; p = 0.00) and Factor (F =.; p = 0.0), which were previously identified as formal research skills, being an efficient worker, and knowledge of organisational principles, respectively. Post-hoc Sheffé tests revealed that in the cases of Factor and Factor, the African languages group gave significantly higher ratings than the other two groups (Afrikaans and English), while in the case of Factor, the African languages group gave significantly lower ratings, while the Afrikaans and English groups did not differ significantly in any of the cases. Discussion The results will be discussed in terms of the two research objectives of the study. Student profile The majority of the students are English speaking, have graduated with a bachelor s degree (BA), and live in an urban environment. They constitute a relatively mature group with a mean age of just over 0 years, almost half are married, and the majority are female. The large number of female students reflects the current statistics for psychology at Unisa in 00 a total of female students and only male students registered for an honours degree in psychology (Unisa, 00). Furthermore, this predominance of female students is consistent with a general trend, also manifest at overseas universities, in terms of which an increasingly female population is pursuing advanced studies in psychology (Zuckerman, ; Schultz & Schultz,

10 marta bonn, chris janeke and piet kruger 00). A similar feminisation trend in enrolment and graduation figures has been documented in medical schools (Wildschut, 00). Many students enter the job market after obtaining a degree, and the level of employment attained by these graduate students therefore provides an indication of how well the degree has prepared them for the labour environment. A surprisingly high percentage (0.) of the students indicate that they are employed (excluding.% who classify themselves as homemakers), which compares favourably with the national employment rate of just.% in 00 (Statistics South Africa, 00). However, the type of occupation obtained by the students is fairly diverse, suggesting that a psychology degree does not result in a specific employment track. The students appear to be equally divided between the public and private sectors. The largest category of students are employed in the education sector, but only a small proportion of the respondents have obtained an education qualification (e.g., BA and Higher Education Diploma). A closer analysis of the data shows that many of the students are employed in education in a general capacity as counsellors, teaching support staff, or involved in education and training in human resource settings, and that only a small percentage have permanent school teaching positions. The fact that the largest percentage of the respondents is employed in education could be ascribed to the perceived relevance that theories of learning, cognition and human behaviour have for education and training. There is some support for the latter interpretation because of the high rating students allocate to acquiring knowledge of how people think, solve problems, and process information in their estimates of the significant job-related skills. In psychology curricula, emphasis is placed on health and clinical applications of psychological knowledge, but only.% of the students have managed to find work in these sectors. Based on the sample of students surveyed in this study it therefore seems that psychology graduates are more likely to end up working in a general business or an educational setting than in a specific health or welfare situation. There is a relatively high level of dissatisfaction of students with their current employment, and 0.% indicate that they intend changing their job in the near future. In comparison, a survey conducted in the United Kingdom (Nerad & Cerny, 000) found that most students who have graduated in engineering and English studies are content with their employment and do not envisage changing their jobs. It would therefore be expected that a large percentage of the students would have settled into a career-path following their graduation. The fact that so many of the students are unhappy with their current employment offers some support for Richter et al. s () contention that an advanced postgraduate degree may afford more job opportunities and so improve general job satisfaction. However, in mitigation it should be noted that the job for life attitude is probably a relic of the past, and that nowadays many young people prefer to work in a variety of different business settings to build up experience and a job portfolio (Furnham, 00).

11 honours psychology students perceptions of job-related skills Skills and abilities relating to psychology The students appear to consider that a broad rather than a narrow focus is a decisive factor in preparing for the labour market. They rate complex thinking skills, such as problem solving and general communication abilities, highly, and also give a high ranking to general insight into human nature and motivational factors. The students emphasis of general thinking skills is in line with the analysis by Wilson et al. (), who contended that a broad professional qualification provides the best entry into the current labour market. As Table indicates, the students give the highest overall ratings to personal traits, which can be interpreted as showing that they emphasise intrinsic personality characteristics in their evaluation of job-related abilities, instead of learned skills and abilities. The students attitude is supported by recent research findings which have shown that employers regard extensive skill-based training as a transient concern with a short shelf-life, and that they prefer to appoint employees who have a range of attributes that will empower them as lifelong learners (Andres, 00). The focus on personality factors is also consistent with Milton et al. s () and Landrum and Harold s (00) studies which suggested that business recruiters place importance on these aspects. It would be expected that postgraduate students with experience of the job market would give higher ratings to business skills related to management, but the students ranked the typical managerial traits lower than the other traits and abilities in Table. Thus leadership is ranked the lowest of all the personal traits, and techniques of personnel selection and knowledge of organisational behaviour and work are ranked the lowest of all the knowledge items in Table. The reasons underlying the low ranking of management skills are unclear. One possibility is that the students in the sample simply lack the business training necessary for entry into management positions, and therefore do not consider these traits pertinent to their own careers. Another possibility is that many of the students may have aspirations to become professional psychologists, as suggested by the emphasis on personal traits and the high ratings given to aspects, such as integrity, which are important in a clienttherapist relationship. In such a relationship, client-centred skills, rather than teamrelated abilities, are the most important attributes. However, in the case of the latter interpretation, the students may have unrealistic expectations about the outcome of their studies because, (a) only a small percentage of them actually succeeded in obtaining employment in a counselling and health care situation, and (b) very few honours students are accepted each year into the counselling and clinical MA programmes required for professional registration in psychology. Statistical and quantitative techniques form part of the analytical resources used in scientific and business problem-solving tasks, but the typical research skills taught in psychology courses are ranked quite low. In fact, the students gave the

12 marta bonn, chris janeke and piet kruger lowest ratings to coding data and statistical analysis of all the items in Table. The low ranking of quantitative skills is worrying because statistical analysis and interpretation are core research skills, and psychology is often extolled as a good preparation for many professions because employers are interested in the skills that psychology majors have acquired in collecting and interpreting data and their knowledge of research design and statistics. However, it is interesting to note that the employers in McKee s () study gave high ratings to quantitative skills, but that Appleby (000) found in his study that employers place greater value on general communication and interpersonal skills than on quantitative and research skills per se. Further research is therefore needed to clarify the importance of quantitative psychological techniques in the South African workplace. Conclusion Two general implications for the future development and improvement of psychology and social science courses can be drawn from the study. Firstly, the majority of students are not content with their present employment situation and envisage changing their careers in the near future. It is possible that they pursued a postgraduate qualification because they had not managed to satisfy their career aspirations on the basis of their existing degree in psychology. It is therefore clear that the preparation of students for the job market is an important factor that needs to be taken into account in the planning of academic programmes, and academics probably need to do this in collaboration with employers. Secondly, the students emphasise complex traits and general problem-solving abilities over specific practical skills. This could be because the skills that they have acquired in their studies of psychology are not directly relevant to the labour market. However, the finding also militate against the common perception of university education as a quick fix in terms of which a few important practical skills can easily be inculcated to prepare students for the job market. According to the students in this sample, personality traits, such as the ability to communicate well, integrity, and problem solving ability, are more important than just practical skills, and they regard these as factors that guarantee success in a career. Biographical notes Martha Bonn obtained her PhD in psychology from Oxford University and was a senior researcher at the Institute of Behavioural Studies before joining the Department of Psychology at Unisa. Her areas of research are child development, social psychology and research methodology. She retired at the end of 00. 0

13 honours psychology students perceptions of job-related skills Chris Janeke is a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Unisa. His areas of research are memory and learning, research methodology, and the interdisciplinary area of cognitive science. He teaches cognitive psychology, psychological research, and sport psychology. Piet Kruger is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Unisa. He teaches research methodology and cognitive psychology. His interests include research methodology, the philosophy of mind, the influence of philosophical assumptions on science, and professional ethics. References Andres, L. (00). More than sorcery required: The challenge of matching education and skills for life and work. In H. Schuetzem & R. Sweet (Eds.), Integrating school and workplace learning in Canada: Principles and practice of alternation education and training (pp. ). Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press. Appleby, D. (000). Job skills valued by employers who interview psychology majors. Eye on Psi Chi. Retrieved June, 00, from Edwards, J., & Smith, K. (). What skills and knowledge do potential employers value in baccalaureate psychologists? In P. J. Woods (Ed.), Is psychology for them? A guide to undergraduate advisors (pp. 0 ). Washington: American Psychological Association. Furnham, J. (00). The psychology of behaviour at work. London: Psychology Press. Hogan, R., Hogan, J., & Roberts, B. W. (). Personality measurement and employment decisions: Questions and answers. American Psychologist, (),. Landrum, R. E., & Harrold, R. (00). What employers want from psychology graduates. Teaching of Psychology, 0,. La Sierra University. (00). Getting a job with a psychology BA. Retrieved October, 00, from MacLeod, D. (00). Universities in crisis: Newcastle drops physics degree. Education Guardian, December, 00. Retrieved December, 00, from McKee, J. (). Careers in psychology. Documents taken from the Department of Psychology handbook for undergraduate majors, Indiana State University,. Retrieved July 0, 00, from psych/undergradhb/ch.html.

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